Midweek Report

Site Staff

09/16/2009

A look at the news of the day, the hot locker room topic, who isn't talking, who is becoming more limited from talking, a take on the Cooley blog and the music at practice as well as a quote from Portis on the offense.

News of the day:

Mike Sellers signed an extension through 2014, with the final two years likely to be voided. It's amazing how much Sellers has grown since joining the Redskins in the late 1990s. There's no way those of us who knew him then would predict that he'd even sniff 2012 with this team. No way. But he turned things around and became a professional. That's why, when he stayed away from the offseason workouts, he still reported in shape. We get annoyed with his little act of interrupting every interview by making fun of the other person or throwing something at him – it's gone on for a few years now – but on the field he's been solid.

Locker room topic:

Mostly about Clinton Portis' impact on the offense and what they must do to get him going. And the Rams game from last year, what they can learn from it. The Rams' staff is new so last year's game is somewhat irrelevant. But from the Redskins' point of view it's a reminder of the approach they must take.

Not talking:

Albert Haynesworth will be a tough interview during the season. Very moody. He'll be the toughest one to talk to since the late Sean Taylor. The problem with Haynesworth is that no one knows when he'll talk. But the real surprise was Fred Smoot wouldn't talk, either. This happened once or twice last year with him . Today he was peeved about what he says was too much criticism of the defensive backs. But know this: DeAngelo Hall did talk – Monday and today. And he was knocked more than anyone. Gotta like someone who stands up to the heat.

Limited:

Jason Campbell has been, by far, the best quarterback to deal with in a long time in Washington. But the Redskins have wisely started to limit him, making him off-limits to the media on Mondays. And they're discouraging others from asking him questions on Thursday or Friday. Campbell is a nice guy who has a hard time saying no and he talked every time he was asked this summer. But it's clear he's been worn down by the press and could use a break. No one has more responsibilities with the media than Campbell and it goes beyond what the local guys ask.

Posted:

Chris Cooley tacked a rather poorly-written obscenity-laced note on the locker room board. The guy ripped pretty much every big name on the team. At the top of the note, Cooley, or someone, wrote, ‘This is from a true fan.'

Music Man:

Jim Zorn allowed the players to play music on the loud speakers while they were stretching before practice. A little Jay-Z… a little Metallica. Imagine the party when they win. When asked if he thought it was right to do something like this after a loss, he seemed baffled by the question and simply answered, ‘No.' In reality, maybe it'll keep things light.

Quotable:

"We need to put up points, really. That's what we need to do. Not just against the Rams, but against everybody. We're capable of being real explosive. The day we catch on and the guys see that and see that we're capable of doing that and Jason guides us down the field … What we don't do or haven't done, we don't score quick. When we score it's a grind. Once we get some big 60 or 70-yard plays. We never have a play like Denver just had." Clinton Portis.

Mike Sellers signed an extension through 2014, with the final two years likely to be voided. It's amazing how much Sellers has grown since joining the Redskins in the late 1990s. There's no way those of us who knew him then would predict that he'd even sniff 2012 with this team. No way. But he turned things around and became a professional. That's why, when he stayed away from the offseason workouts, he still reported in shape. We get annoyed with his little act of interrupting every interview by making fun of the other person or throwing something at him – it's gone on for a few years now – but on the field he's been solid.

Locker room topic:

Mostly about Clinton Portis' impact on the offense and what they must do to get him going. And the Rams game from last year, what they can learn from it. The Rams' staff is new so last year's game is somewhat irrelevant. But from the Redskins' point of view it's a reminder of the approach they must take.

Not talking:

Albert Haynesworth will be a tough interview during the season. Very moody. He'll be the toughest one to talk to since the late Sean Taylor. The problem with Haynesworth is that no one knows when he'll talk. But the real surprise was Fred Smoot wouldn't talk, either. This happened once or twice last year with him . Today he was peeved about what he says was too much criticism of the defensive backs. But know this: DeAngelo Hall did talk – Monday and today. And he was knocked more than anyone. Gotta like someone who stands up to the heat.

Limited:

Jason Campbell has been, by far, the best quarterback to deal with in a long time in Washington. But the Redskins have wisely started to limit him, making him off-limits to the media on Mondays. And they're discouraging others from asking him questions on Thursday or Friday. Campbell is a nice guy who has a hard time saying no and he talked every time he was asked this summer. But it's clear he's been worn down by the press and could use a break. No one has more responsibilities with the media than Campbell and it goes beyond what the local guys ask.

Posted:

Chris Cooley tacked a rather poorly-written obscenity-laced note on the locker room board. The guy ripped pretty much every big name on the team. At the top of the note, Cooley, or someone, wrote, ‘This is from a true fan.'

Music Man:

Jim Zorn allowed the players to play music on the loud speakers while they were stretching before practice. A little Jay-Z… a little Metallica. Imagine the party when they win. When asked if he thought it was right to do something like this after a loss, he seemed baffled by the question and simply answered, ‘No.' In reality, maybe it'll keep things light.

Quotable:

\"We need to put up points, really. That's what we need to do. Not just against the Rams, but against everybody. We're capable of being real explosive. The day we catch on and the guys see that and see that we're capable of doing that and Jason guides us down the field … What we don't do or haven't done, we don't score quick. When we score it's a grind. Once we get some big 60 or 70-yard plays. We never have a play like Denver just had.\" Clinton Portis.